


from: heaven ; to: hell

by Zei_Legato



Category: Nijisanji
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Drama, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, I swear, Light Angst, Romance, god the DRAMA, inui is toko, it'll be much more light-hearted, lize is an only child here, she's also a few years older than her official age, yes there will be fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:14:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27303967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zei_Legato/pseuds/Zei_Legato
Summary: Sneering, the demon lets out a chuckle as it looks away from Lize’s questioning eyes. “I’ll take you as my bride, maybe?”
Relationships: Inui Toko/Lize Helesta
Kudos: 17





	from: heaven ; to: hell

**Author's Note:**

> hi. icb this is the second time i'm the first one to post on a ship tag. i'm going to cry. anyway many thanks to chesu for being my best idea-bouncing friend bc without her this fic wouldn't even happen ilu mba ches

Freedom is something everybody craves for. It is a right, and for some it is a privilege. Many have gone out of their way to fight for their freedom. Some have succeeded, some have yet to acquire it, and some have given up. But what should one do when their fate has been decided and it is to never experience freedom?

Succumb to it.

And that is why Lize Helesta sits alone in this shrine, calmly waiting for her end to come.

As per her family’s wishes, she became a nun, following her mother’s footsteps. There were many of her friends who became nuns as well, and so she could easily fit in to the environment. And some of those friends, she had to witness disappear one by one into the very same forest she’s in and are never seen again.

The villagers were devout followers of an unnamed God. Yes, an unnamed God—it was a belief that giving a name to a deity was a sin. A part of Lize believed that this fate might have been her punishment for slowly losing her faith. The faith she’d built within the years in order to become a proper nun, all because she could not contain her curiosity. Many, if not _most_ , of the nuns who disappeared were the best ones in the village.

_You must shoulder this responsibility with pride._

_You will be our savior._

The last two sentences she heard from the last human she’d ever see—the priest—keeps ringing in her head. Is it truly so grand, this whole ritual? Every three months, someone would disappear. And soon, she too would disappear. Despite her questions, she has accepted this fate. She has accepted it, since the very moment she saw a messenger came knocking on the door to her family’s residence and her mother fell to her knees sobbing while her father desperately tried to console her to no avail. All the emotion was exhausted that day, so that when they came to see her off a couple hours ago no tears were shed. Only silence was present today.

Because today she will become an offering for the Canine Demon.

Ironic. The irony of this all makes her smile. If this is indeed a punishment, then she’s accepted it. If one life, hers, is enough to protect her beloved village from harm’s way, then so be it.

Her smile drops, however, when she notices that this shrine is… very well taken care of. She has heard that every priest who has brought the offering to the shrine must return at sunrise to retrieve the remains of the offering’s bloodied garments. Just how many have been sacrificed before her, before her friends? All she knows is that no priest has been able to last for more than two years.

The Canine Demon was once God’s loyal right hand. It was said that the Canine Demon broke a major rule and God cursed it to fall to the human world, forever feasting on the blood of sinful humans. Its appearance became even more twisted the more it devours people, and the only way to appease its endless hunger momentarily is by feeding it those with a pure heart—devout followers of God.

The question that causes Lize’s faith to waver is why, _why_ does it feel more like a punishment for the humans? For the mortal beings it devours?

And now Lize will face her death without ever knowing the answer.

This is her fate, and she has no way of escaping.

Because all thoughts of running away, if she even has time to think of it, vanishes into thin air when she hears the thumping of footsteps and leaves rustling wildly outside the shrine. The air has gone cold, biting into what little skin she has exposed. The candles that have been her only source of warmth are blown out, leaving her in the darkness. A low growl can be heard from right outside the shrine, and the door slowly opens.

Red and yellow eyes greet her from outside, along with two other pairs of eyes. The Canine Demon’s appearance was exactly as she’s read—a three headed dog, each with a mind of its own and the one in the center is the one in full control of the body, its gigantic fangs dripping with the blood of those it has feasted upon. The size of the middle head alone is twice Lize’s height, and she freezes in place when she catches sight of the hunger flashing in its intense gaze. Its dark brown fur stays still even with such strong winds blowing seemingly from every direction. It looms even closer, close enough that its breath alone can fling Lize to the wall behind her had she not been doing her best to keep her footing.

“Oh? Looks like you’re so much more different than the previous offerings.”

Lize blinked. It’s a person’s voice, but she’s sure there’s nobody else but her and the… demon.

Piecing the facts together silently, Lize finally feels herself being able to move at her own will. As if the air has gotten slightly lighter. And so the first thing she says is the thought that immediately came to mind when she’s found the conclusion, “They didn’t tell me you’d… talk?”

“Because I always refuse to do so,” the Canine Demon speaks once more, directly into Lize’s mind. “I see no reason to speak.”

“So then you have a reason now?” Lize tries to stall—maybe, just maybe, some more truth will be revealed. Even if she has to bring it with her to her grave.

“Perhaps. I merely deemed your uncommon nature worth mentioning,” the demon squints with mirth in its eyes.

“Well… then are you going to eat me?” Lize would be lying if she were to say there’s not a pinch of hope in that question.

“Bold one, aren’t you?” The middle head takes its time to sniff Lize, and drags one of its large claws across the garment covering her upper arm, surprisingly not scratching a single thread.

It may not be appropriate at a time like this, but Lize admits she feels slightly offended. She believes she’s good enough to be an offering and sate this demon’s hunger temporarily. Now that she thinks about it, the demon never even said anything about her unique quality being a good one.

It doesn’t take long before the demon leans back, seemingly satisfied with whatever it found on Lize, “… Come with me, little girl.”

One thing Lize has never figured out about the ritual process is what happens after the demon comes. She’s heard that it will end the ritual as soon as it visits the shrine and this… is nothing like the ‘soon’ she has in mind. Despite that Lize follows the gigantic dog outside anyway, almost taken aback by the demon’s completely looming over the small shrine as she steps outside and fully views this being. It leads her deeper into the forest, closer to the forbidden area where it resides. Lize dares not to look up, unwilling to see the scenery around her that may give her a false sense of freedom.

“Umm… if I may ask, what are you going to do to me?” Lize looks up at the demon, who peers back at her. It’s a bit odd to say that she doesn’t feel threatened any longer being in its presence. Is this mercy? Or is this one of the Canine Demon’s trickery?

Sneering, the demon lets out a chuckle as it looks away from Lize’s questioning eyes. “I’ll take you as my bride, maybe?”

Lize must’ve completely lost her mind. If she hasn’t, then it’s the demon who’s gone off the rails. Without thinking, she runs off to catch up with the demon and stops right before its face. And still without thinking, she slaps the demon with all her might, or whatever is left of it. Even she herself is surprised when the demon flinches a little when her palm made contact with its face.

“That’s very strong.” The demon chuckles lowly.

“I can’t believe… I can’t believe I’m being offered as your food and yet here I am being _harassed_ instead!” Lize snaps at the demon looking down at her. “I am here to protect my village! I am _enough_ to fulfil your hunger! I can’t allow you to harm the villagers!”

“Well, I don’t _want_ to eat you, little girl.” The demon tilts its head, “Nor do I want to do any harm to that village. I may be an enemy of God, but I have no business with His followers.”

“W-what…?” Lize stares at the taunting eyes before her, processing the demon’s words carefully in her head. She’s starting to feel lightheaded from all this. “Then… then this whole time, all those sacrifices were… pointless? You… you could’ve simply refused them? _My friends_?”

“I never asked for offerings, mind you. I may live in this forest, but food,” the demon pauses with a huff, “food is something I can pick out on my own.”

“Then _why_?! You could’ve told them all this! You could’ve just… just released them and let them live…” Lize trails off, slowly feeling her knees weaken as her thoughts turn into nothing but one jumbled word after another, her late friends’ long lost features haunting every corner of her mind.

“That I cannot do.” The demon speaks in a quieter voice. “It’s—“

“— _Fine_. I’ll be the first to prove it to them, if that’s the case. I’ll come back unscathed and prove that there’s no need to sacrifice anybody else.” Lize steels herself and attempts to make her way around the demon, but one of its head growls at her as it blocks her way back.

“Let me finish. Accepting the offering has been an act of mercy, little girl. An act of mercy…” the demon speaks once more as Lize's frown grows deeper with every pause, “… for the offering.”

“… What…? What do you mean?” She wants to deny it, but something has been nagging in her heart. When her faith began to crumble a little, this has been bothering her. And she knows the answer will come now, right from the Canine Demon itself.

“There are two things that will happen to offerings who escape. They will either be lost in the forest…” the demon stares at Lize dead in the eye, “… or the villagers will finish them off themselves if they try to return.”

The night is cold, Lize knows that. But knowing this after questioning the truth for so long suddenly causes her entire body to become so much colder than the night. She has feared this deep inside. Because she knows some of her late friends came from a family of renowned knights in the village. And yet nobody—not a single soul dares to step in and come to help them when their time came.

“… Is this… is this true…?” Lize’s voice is hoarse.

“You can’t possibly think they still consider you as their kind the moment they send you off as an offering.” The demon says matter-of-factly.

Demons are full of trickery and lies. It is what she has been taught as she grew up as a nun. They always know how to corrupt one’s heart and mind while putting together coincidences and creating a false narrative that suits their tastes. Yes, that has got to be it. And Lize will not fall for it. The villagers must know. They must hear of this so they can live on without the fear of possibly losing a family member of theirs.

But why does she still feel an indescribable amount of unease? Why does the silence of her parents who went to see her leave bother her so? They let her be without a single parting word, even after she said her last goodbye to them.

Inhaling a deep breath, Lize shakes her head. This too, must be trickery.

“No. I’ll still return and let them know. I have no reason to believe you, Canine Demon.” Saying it out loud always helps.

“Hah, you humans and your foolish ‘I will not believe until I see it with my own eyes’ nonsense,” the demon grins wickedly, sounding amused by Lize’s answer, which the white haired girl takes serious offense to. “If that’s the case then shall I show you the scene if you were to return to your oh-so-beloved village?”

Lize isn’t even granted a single second to answer the question, because by the time she opens her mouth to say something, the demon’s paw has covered her eyes.

It’s dark. So dark and it terrifies her. Her ears, however, begin to pick up muffled sounds. By the moment those sounds become clearer, fear takes over her whole being because they are her own screams of terror. The darkness is now no longer there and all she sees is red. Red, and flashing images of the faces of the villagers she knew so well distorted into expressions of anger and panic, in complete contrast to their day to day kindness and serenity. She even sees the sword that will pierce through her body, ultimately killing her. And the last image she saw before she pulls herself back to reality was of her bloodied body being tossed back into the forest by her very own parents.

Stumbling over to the ground, Lize’s breaths are uneven, and she feels tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Her entire body is shaking—it was all so real, so _vivid_. That cannot be. No matter how it felt, it would never be reality. In no way would she believe in imageries shown by a _demon_.

“ _LIES!_ I won’t believe your illusions even for a second!” Lize manages to yell out, and yet despite her bravado she does not look at the demon in the eyes.

“Well then, if you don’t want to believe me.” The demon sits down, mumbling something that sounds like a language foreign to Lize’s ears as a bright red glyph begins to form under her. As Lize finally brings herself to look up at the demon, a flash of white fills her vision. By the time she opens her eyes, Lize finds herself back in the shrine, still in the state she left it in. The only difference being the demon is nowhere to be seen.

* * *

_This is it._

She has a chance to leave, and sure enough she doesn’t waste even a split second to run towards the direction of her village. Her eyes have been well adjusted to the dark by this point that she does not need to dodge stray branches in her way. All she has in mind is that she will end this once and for all. Her heart beats fast in anticipation—it hasn’t been too long since she left the outskirts, but she almost breaks into tears when she sees the guards overlooking the forest at the gate. They will greet her as usual, just like every time she comes back home from searching for firewood.

But alas, the moment she hears the giant bells ringing, fear begins to envelop her very being. Those bells… are alerting the villagers. Something in the dark grazes her cheek and lands right next to her feet. An arrow. _A guard’s arrow_.

“Halt! Do not take another step!” One of the guards yelled, aiming their halberd her way.

“W-wait! I… I have something very important to tell all of you!” Lize slows into a stop as she raises both of her hands in surrender. “P-please! I’m sure this can save us all!”

“Do not waver, guards!” Lize immediately recognizes this voice as the priest’s. He emerges from the guards’ post with a torch in one hand, his face twisting into… the exact expression she saw in the demon’s illusion. As she is about to utter another word, she catches sight of her parents following right behind the priest. What makes her finally take a step back, is the thing she sees in her father’s hand. A sword. The same sword she saw stained with her blood in the vision. Some villagers have also gathered behind them, each with weapons in their hands, torches at the ready. The flames licking menacingly, as if taunting her to step further.

This.

This is the exact thing she’s seen in that demon’s illusion.

“M-mother… father… everyone… please, we… we don’t have to do this anymore… we don’t have to sacrifice anybody anymore…” Lize’s voice rings clear despite the looks she’s being given. She _will_ reach out to them. She has lived for almost two decades around these people, and surely… _surely_ they would listen to her voice just like when they would come to her whenever they needed to hear her soothing voice alone.

“Miss Lize Helesta… how unfortunate of you, truly.” The priest starts, stepping closer. The pain in his voice is feigned, Lize knows full well it is, because his body language tells her that she has to do one thing and one thing only.

Run.

But run to where, Lize doesn’t even know. Even if she were to try to run back to the Canine Demon, she’s sure she can’t find it. And even if she were to take the other option of getting herself lost in the forest, the villagers will definitely not stop to search for her. With the help of her parents who know her all too well, they will find her in no time.

“Allow me,” her father’s deep voice travels through the distance, his sword already at the ready by the time she sees his tall figure. Her mother follows him right behind, her face showing none of the happiness Lize had hoped for when she stepped outside the shrine. The only thing she sees is fear, and perhaps a hint of disappointment.

_They’re not going to listen to me._

_None of them will._

_Not a single one will._

Lize painfully concludes in her mind, and watches silently as her father begins to take a stance. She recalls the times she’d practice swordfight with him on their free time. He will take a deep breath, he will count to five, and then he will lunge towards her at a speed that she’s sure she can’t outrun. She’s sure of it, because even when they were merely playing around during practice, she still had no way of dodging nor blocking this attack of his. So she squeezes her eyes shut.

She only has a few seconds to draw in one last breath of the forest’s air. An air that feels so much kinder than her own home now. An air that no longer suffocates her. An air that she won’t be able to breathe in again after she lets this out. She hears the crackling of torches, whispers of terrible words she can’t register in her mind, and the crunching of the ground under her father’s feet.

Then she hears rushed footsteps coming closer, ones that she assumes to be that of her father’s. Deep inside, she wishes that she’ll only be knocked back and fall onto the soft grounds of their backyard. She wishes she’ll hear her father’s laughter and feels his hand pulling her back up into an embrace. She wishes her mother will call out to them, telling them that dinner is ready.

It is then she realizes.

_Since when did he stop counting to five?_

As if on cue, she hears the familiar wide steps that her father takes approaching her. If these are his… then whose were those that she heard earlier?

It is immediately answered when a scream pierces through the silence, followed by a harsh thud. Surprised by the sounds, Lize opens her eyes to find her father lying on his back on the ground, writhing in pain. His sword has been flung much farther behind, landing just right in front of her terrified mother.

“Told you.”

The demon’s voice, clearer this time in her ear instead of whispering right into her mind, comes from beside her. She finds a woman with long dark brown hair held in low twintails standing tall by her side, her strange ears twitching every now and then. She seems to be wearing some sort of… traditional clothes Lize isn’t too familiar with. The woman looks at her, and the mismatched eyes confirm Lize’s suspicions. At first she thought this form was a body the Canine Demon borrowed from one of its victims, but seeing the way it seems far too intricately designed, Lize concludes that this woman _is_ the Canine Demon.

“Now then…” the demon speaks once more, facing away to smile at the villagers murmuring in the distance and calmly watching Lize’s mother rushing to her father’s aid. Something seems to be flashing in her gaze before she continues, “… who shot this arrow?” The demon gestures to the arrow that hit Lize earlier. “May I take that you are brave enough to offer me a spoiled nourishment now? Is that it?”

The priest steps forward, standing in front of Lize’s parents as he waves his torch towards the demon. “Return to the forest at once! Whatever has happened to the offering is their own fault! We are not responsible for what happens after they’ve been placed in the shrine!”

“So be it,” with a wave of her hand, another scream rings in the air. One pained scream, then followed by the villagers’ panicked ones. Lize looks up to the source of the sound to find the charred remains of the guard that had shot the arrow her way, still standing in their burnt armor. “Let that corpse be there as a reminder for you foolish beings. If you still dare to bring me offerings, then do not, _do not_ taint them with wounds. Let alone _murder_ them in my stead. If you cannot even do that—if you do not _wish_ to do that, then leave me alone, leave this forest alone and keep praying to that egotistical God of yours. I do not need the help of people who live revelling in blind faith alone.”

Lize looks at the demon, whose low voice travels clearly in the chilly night air to the priest, to her parents. Their eyes are widened, still staring at the two figures before them completely baffled and out of words to say. The Canine Demon has basically stated everything Lize came back to tell everyone all by herself, and the gruesome display of power is a must if she needed to bring all attention her way. A proof that she _is_ the demon they’ve feared for so many years.

Lize feels an arm circling behind her back to rest on her waist. In an attempt to soothe her, the demon moves her hand in a comforting motion as she pulls Lize closer to her warm body. This warmth brings Lize to tears, and this time she lets them fall. There’s no power left in her to try and conceal her vulnerability. It’s a shame, truly a shame that she feels so much safer on the side where her parents are not on.

“Now, it may be ironic but…” the demon trails off and waves her hand once more, causing an invisible force to shove the priest to aside so she can speak to Lize’s parents, “… I just cannot allow you two to end her life like this. Death will be too kind of a punishment, however, seeing that you were so willing to take her life. This little girl right here is still your daughter. She returned at her own will to tell you something that would have truly ended the anxiety you people have been experiencing every three months and yet you denied her. Thus I will take her away, and I will never allow her to return for a second time. And you two, perhaps even _all of you_ , shall live the rest of your lives regretting your decision to not listen.”

Still hearing the words clearly, Lize cries louder as her hand clutches onto the demon’s clothes. She doesn’t know where else to go. What she knows is that she can only hold what holds her in return.

“… Come with me.” The demon whispers to her as she picks up her sobbing figure and carries her back into the forest. The village becomes smaller and smaller in the horizon from Lize’s blurred vision. From her peripheral vision, she catches sight of the shrine’s destroyed remains, seemingly burnt by an intense fire even though the trees surrounding it still stand tall.

Could it be all this is still an illusion?

“Unfortunately, I don’t have such a horrible hobby, little girl.” The demon says. Lize must’ve said that question out loud. She’s too exhausted, emotionally and physically, to mind what she says out loud. She only watches some of her teardrops carried away by the wind.

“Lies…” Lize mutters. What else can she say, after her life crumbled right before her own eyes?

“I can fool the eyes, but I’ll have you know that I don’t have the capability to simulate the pain you must be feeling.” The demon speaks, proceeding to chant in the same foreign language Lize heard before she was transported back to the shrine. And just like before, everything flashes white.

* * *

Looking around through her welled eyes, Lize finds that they’ve passed through the barrier put up surrounding the forbidden area. It is a forest clearing, with a river running through it. Before the river stands a small house, not unlike one of the buildings she’s seen in her village but still distinct enough to tell that it’s not the house of any of the villagers.

“Ban, Ken, if you will. My hands are full right now.” As soon as the demon says that, two small dogs manifest and nudge the door open for all of them to come inside. “Thank you. Ban, can you please prepare the kitchen? I haven’t used it in a while and it could use some cleaning. Ken, please bring back any edible fish you can find from the river. Fetch some greens too if you come across any.”

At the Canine Demon’s command, one of the dogs runs into one of the rooms and disappears into the corner while the other runs outside. Those must’ve been the manifestations of the demon’s other two heads, Lize assumes. It’s strange to see all of this with her own two eyes, and even stranger to be fully aware that none of this is a dream.

She knows it’s real when the demon sets her down on a comfortable chair and she can touch the table in front of her just fine, feeling the fine wood it’s made of. From the corner of her eye, she can tell the demon is examining her face and making sure that she’s unharmed save for the wound on her cheek and her dirty clothes. The demon then saunters over to a counter where all sorts of glassware are neatly lined up. She takes a small cup and fills it with what seems to be warm water, judging from the faint puffs of steam.

With the demon preoccupied by her own activities, Lize finally takes her time to look away and study the insides of the house. It’s all… oddly normal. It doesn’t feel like a frightening demon lives here. It’s very clean, with the wooden floors still looking as good as new except for some scratch marks here and there. The walls are decorated with several paintings, from old to new ones. The fireplace is lit with one swift gesture by the demon alone, and the light helps Lize see better. From where she’s sitting, she can see the entrance to a room filled with full bookcases. Maybe things filled with knowledge regarding the human world. This room they’re currently in must be some sort of a living room or a dining room, because the kitchen is right beside it. She can also see a basket of fruits settled at the end of the table in front of her.

Despite the security she immediately feels, Lize can’t help but feel that even though this house is considerably small, it’s still a little too big even with the two dogs in it. It is then she catches sight of something rushing from outside and into the kitchen. A bark is heard afterwards from the kitchen and the demon’s ears twitch.

“That’s my cue.” The demon mumbles from her spot near the counter. She brings the cup over to the table and sets it in front of Lize, “I’ll be back soon. If you need anything, call out to either Ban or Ken.”

Lize doesn’t answer—she only nods silently and takes a sip of the water. Her throat is extremely thankful for this. She’s also noticed that there’s a change in the demon’s manner of speech, sounding much more relaxed this time around. As if she’s speaking to a friend.

“Oh I almost forgot. I caught that your name was Lize, little girl?” The demon says from the doorway to the kitchen, peeking over her shoulder to see a nodding Lize. “My name’s Toko Inui. Just call me Toko. It’s not ‘Canine Demon’ or whatever you called me with back there.”

“… You have a name?” Of all things that can come out of her mouth after staying mum for a while, _this_ is what actually comes out. Even Lize herself is surprised by what she just said.

“Surprised?” Toko chuckles—it sounds so _much_ better when she’s in this form. “Wouldn’t be right if you’re a bride of mine and yet you don’t know my name, hmm?”

Hearing the word ‘bride’, Lize feels like chucking this cup of water in Toko’s way. If only she has the energy to. For the time being she settles with a groan and Toko simply walks off to the kitchen with a pleased laughter. Now that the only other occupant of the room has left, Lize sighs out loud and massages the sides of her head. It hurts, it hurts _a lot_ and she feels like she’s already run out of tears to spill. Only the sounds from the kitchen visible from the corner of her eyes are keeping her mind from going to dark places, and she’s grateful for that. Lize is alone now, in more ways than one. The only company she has isn’t even human and she probably can’t afford to take a single wrong step.

For a split second, she thinks that maybe it would have been better had she been devoured by Toko instead. Just as fast as the thought manifests, she shakes it off when she’s reminded that if her life had taken that turn, then the villagers will have to live their lives in nothing but one temporary peaceful moment after another. Nothing will change, just that there will be less one villager.

“At least they’re safe…” Lize mumbles to herself, unaware of the figure coming closer from the kitchen’s direction. She only notices when a plate of food is placed on the table right in front of her. It’s… human food. If it isn’t, then Toko did an impressive job making it look like one.

“Eat it. I’m not fooling your eyes. It’s real food,” Toko says. “And you need to stop thinking of those villagers. They abandoned you. Even now I’m sure the priest is trying to get into their heads. I don’t know what your bible tells about me, or what your storybooks tell about me, but I never had any intention of causing any sort of harm to that village nor the people in it. If I wanted that, the people who’d wandered off to the forbidden area wouldn’t have lived to tell the story.”

Lize stares at the food absentmindedly. She tosses Toko’s words back and forth in her mind, still picking on which ones may sound the most like a lie. To her dismay, she finds none. No matter how much she tries to analyse every single word, nothing sounds remotely like a lie. Then is Toko truly a demon, if everything she’s said up until now has been proven true? Or has Lize been living in the many lies written in the books about the demons?

“Lize.” Toko’s voice is gentle as she lifts Lize’s chin up to look at her properly. “Enough thinking. Eat. I’m sure you’re hungry. And I’ll be going outside, so Ban and Ken will keep you company for now.”

“… Okay.” Lize manages to say and she watches as Toko makes her way outside. She doesn’t feel any appetite, however. She may have felt rather safe in this house, but she’s far from feeling comfortable enough to allow her appetite to settle in. It has been hours since her last meal, and yet she doesn’t feel anything, what with her mind still tipping dangerously to the dark corners.

“Why aren’t you eating?” A voice comes from the doorway—it’s not Toko’s. It’s slightly squeaked, almost like an innocent child’s voice. A shuffling of footsteps are heard on the floor, and then one of the small dogs leaps up to the table, sitting comfortably as she regards Lize with a tilted head. “Do you not like fish, young lady?”

Talking dogs are, by this point, something Lize is used to. And so she doesn’t have to think much of it. “… I… I don’t feel like it.”

“That’s too bad. I even went out of my way to grab the biggest fish for this.” The other one leaps up to sit next to the first one, her fur still damp from presumably hunting in the river. “Toko-sama doesn’t normally want to use the kitchen, too.”

Taking a closer look, Lize can actually tell them apart by the accessories they’ve adorned on their small bodies. The one with the flower on the left side of her head must be Ban, and the one with the damp fur and a collar on her neck must be Ken. Other than those, the two of them are pretty much identical to each other.

“Sorry…” Lize mumbles, looking back down at the full plate. “Are you two going to get in trouble if I don’t finish this?”

“No, Toko-sama isn’t like that,” Ken says as she licks her fur clean. “I think she knows you’re not going to finish it or even eat it at all. She didn’t cook the entire fish.”

Ban nods in affirmation, “You won’t get in trouble either. None of us will. She’ll probably just feed this to the forest creatures. Toko-sama is kind. She always has been, so don’t worry. However, will you be okay on an empty stomach?”

Their words reassure her, and her tense shoulders have finally relaxed—she never even noticed how tense they’ve been up until now. “I… think so. I’m just really tired.”

“Go sleep then. It’s been too long of a night for you.” Ken tells her. “We’ll be here.”

With that and one long sip from her cup of water, Lize closes her eyes. The dogs calmly watch her, occasionally sharing small talks between them about stuff Lize doesn’t understand. They speak in hushed voices, not wanting to disturb her more than anything else. Never had she ever thought that she would spend the night, and _will_ spend even more nights in the residence of a demon (which, to be fair, doesn’t even look like something a demon would live in). A demon who should’ve devoured her. A demon who’s ended up saving her life so that she can live another day.

And tomorrow will be a new day unlike the others.

* * *

It has gotten late by the time Toko returns to the house. She has left for a small town of merchants that she’s gotten familiar with. It has been a while since the last time she visited the town to buy ingredients she can’t find in the forest, and yet some of the merchants still recognize her, even going so far as to give her a discount for several items. She’s made sure that they can’t see her dog ears, and so to them, she comes across as a normal human. It is a much, much kinder and welcoming place compared to the village by the forest.

The silence is something she’s used to, but coming home to a lit fireplace is something she has not experienced for a long, long time. She peeks into the dining room to find Lize sleeping soundly, her food untouched. On the chair next to Lize’s (they must’ve dragged it closer to her), Ban and Ken are sleeping as well, piling up on top of one another. The scene fills her with nostalgia, but she pushes it back before it has a chance to overwhelm her. After setting down her shopping bags in the kitchen, she pulls out a drawer and takes a thick blanket out of it, patting it just in case dust may have accumulated even though she’s been washing it regularly every week.

As she’s about to drape the blanket on Lize’s body, she catches the sound of sniffles and sobs. What happened tonight will definitely haunt Lize for quite some time, if not for the rest of her life, whether she’s awake or not. Perhaps she’s run out of tears, because even though Lize trembles with every sob, with every whisper of ‘mother’ and ‘father’, her closed eyes remain dry.

“Sometimes surviving isn’t the best thing, is it?” Toko whispers, carefully putting the blanket over Lize and sharing a small portion of it for her friends. She then takes a seat on the chair across the table, thinking of bringing the food into the forest when the animals are awake. She herself doesn’t require much sleep. As long as either Ban or Ken are well-rested, then so is she.

So she watches over them, spending most of her time burning Lize’s facial features to her memory.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading mwah


End file.
